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Confused.com analysed Google searches for terms like ‘camera doorbells,’ ‘smart lock’ and ‘CCTV’ to determine where people were least likely to protect their homes.
- Residents in the West Yorkshire city make just 5.3 searches for security upgrades per 1,000 people.
- Wigan’s citizens are the second least concerned with security.
- Liverpool’s residents are the most security-conscious in England and Wales, with just under 20 searches per burglary (23.3).
- Matthew Harwood, Confused.com home insurance expert, gives tips on how to improve your home security.
Residents of Wakefield are the least likely to improve the security of their home. That’s according to Confused.com home insurance, who analysed how much residents in different cities across England and Wales looked into upgrading their home safety.
The 10 cities least concerned about their home security
| Rank | City | Residential burglaries per 1,000 population | Searches per 1,000 population |
| 1 | Wakefield | 3.71 | 5.3 |
| 2 | Wigan | 5.03 | 8.4 |
| 3 | Dudley | 4.01 | 9.1 |
| 4 | Bradford | 4.00 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Cardiff | 3.04 | 11.0 |
| 6 | London | 4.00 | 11.8 |
| 7 | Doncaster | 7.51 | 12.2 |
| 8 | Belfast | 3.75 | 12.3 |
| 9 | Leeds | 5.32 | 14.4 |
| 10 | Nottingham | 3.88 | 14.9 |
Wakefield’s residents are the least likely to upgrade their home security out of every city analysed. Despite having 1,313 burglaries in 2022, residents of Wakefield only recorded 5.26 security related searches per year. That’s under half (48%) the searches in Cardiff (11.0). However, Wakefield’s citizens are more likely to be burgled (3.71 per 1,000 people) than Cardiff’s (3.04 per 1,000 people).
Citizens of Wigan are second least interested in improving home security, with 8.4 related searches per 1,000 residents. That’s despite Wigan having the third most burglaries (5.03), after Doncaster (7.51) and Leeds (5.32). Residents of Dudley place third, with 9.1 searches and 4.01 burglaries per 1,000 people.
Residents in London (11.8 searches) are slightly more conscious of their home security than those in Cardiff (11.0 searches). However, 4 in every 1,000 Londoners are burgled, compared to just 3.04 Cardiff citizens – almost a quarter (24%) less.
The 5 most security-conscious cities
| Rank | City | Residential burglaries per 1,000 population | Searches per 1,000 population |
| 1 | Liverpool | 4.37 | 23.3 |
| 2 | Manchester | 7.85 | 23.1 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 6.42 | 21.7 |
| 4 | Bristol | 3.91 | 19.3 |
| 5 | Leicester | 4.34 | 18.9 |
Matthew Harwood, Confused.com home insurance expert, shares tips for homeowners interested in security technology:
“When upgrading home security, our study shows that smart technology is often a popular option for homeowners. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. Home security is a growing market, but there are many affordable, easy to self-install options:
- Motion detectors: These detect unusual movements around the home and are often set up to work in tandem with smart cameras.
- Video doorbells: Smart doorbells let you see who’s at your door, and allow you to communicate without approaching.
- Smart lighting: By connecting your indoor and outdoor lights to Wi-Fi you can schedule when they come on, to deter burglars.
- Door and window sensors: These can be connected to your phone to notify you if your window or door has been opened.
If you’re looking to reduce the cost of your home insurance, as well as improving your security, you can do so by implementing physical measures:
- Door security: When you’re applying for home insurance, providers will ask if your locks are up to British standards. Upgrading to a more secure lock helps make it more difficult for intruders to get into your home.
- Window locks: Windows are the most common point of entry for burglars, so it’s important to install them with locks. If you need to keep windows open, consider adding a window restrictor to keep your home insurance policy from being invalidated.
- Safes: If you have high-value items in your home, buying a safe is a good extra step to keep them secure. This could also reduce the cost of your contents insurance.”
